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Car Forum / Pontiac / Pontiac Cars / March 200688 Pontiac Bonneville starter motor replacement cost question
I just bought an 88 Pontiac Bonneville and after sitting for 2 days it won't start, the voltage is a little down (11.3v) and at first it made a ticking noise when I tried to turn it over but then it stopped doing even that. As you can probably tell, I'm not a automotive genius --- my question is: if I'm going to have to replace the starter motor how much would that likely cost? Get the battery up to proper charge first, labor for starter is about 1.7 >I just bought an 88 Pontiac Bonneville and after sitting for 2 days it >won't start, the voltage is a little down (11.3v) and at first it made a >ticking noise when I tried to turn it over but then it stopped doing even >that. As you can probably tell, I'm not a automotive genius --- my >question is: if I'm going to have to replace the starter motor how much >would that likely cost? Yeah, that sounds reasonable --- make sure it's not just a weak battery before ripping stuff apart :) (You mean that's one point seven hours for replacing a starter motor? Got it.) I checked the engine-oil, thinking maybe it had seized up because the oil had leaked out or something, but there's lots of oil in it. As soon as Buddy comes back with the jumpers, I'll try jumping it and if it's still an issue, you might hear from me again. Hey, while I'm here and have experts on tap, maybe you could help me figure out one of the little oddities that came with this beast --- the driver's side window --- it works just fine until it rains AND you operate the wipers (if you don't use the wipers it doesn't happen) and then the driver's side window won't open til the car dries out completely! Here a link to a picture of it: "http://members.shaw.ca/cyberhun/whiterock/4.jpg" What could I do to fix it up --- what would be the first thing a professional would do to a car like this? I paid $600 Canadian ($470 or so US) for this 88 Bonneville and it's in OK shape, no significant rust, odo says 42900 but it's rolled over probably, it seems to get around 5km/liter (12 miles/gallon) in the city. It's got a V8 although I don't know what size it is. > Get the battery up to proper charge first, labor for starter is about 1.7 > >I just bought an 88 Pontiac Bonneville and after sitting for 2 days it [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups > ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- >Get the battery up to proper charge first, labor for starter is about 1.7 >>I just bought an 88 Pontiac Bonneville and after sitting for 2 days it [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >>question is: if I'm going to have to replace the starter motor how much >>would that likely cost? I don't know if the starter soeinoid was still a separate unit in the '88s, but if it was you might try changing the solenoid, before you get a new starter. The ticking noise sounds like what a couple of my cars did years ago, when the solenoid was going bed. Tom S Tom S. --- thx for responding. Thats a good idea to check the solenoid 1st. Here are some pics, can you tell if the starter solenoid is seperate from these pics? Roughly how much is a starter solenoid costing these days? http://members.shaw.ca/cyberhun/whiterock/9.jpg http://members.shaw.ca/cyberhun/whiterock/10.jpg http://members.shaw.ca/cyberhun/whiterock/11.jpg >Tom S. --- thx for responding. >Thats a good idea to check the solenoid 1st. Here are some pics, can [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >http://members.shaw.ca/cyberhun/whiterock/11.jpg None of those is the starter solenoid. Picture 10 is some sort of emission control device in the air filter and 11 is the distributor. In my experience the starter solenoid is either on the starter or attached to the wheel well near the starter. The cable from your battery to the starter attaches to the solenoid, which also has a couple of other posts with wires running off them. If you turn the ignition on - car in park, or neutral, for a manual transmission, parking brake set and stay clear of the fan - you can short across two of the posts and crank the engine. When I have had bad solenoids in the past, this is how I started the car until I could get a new one. I can't tell you the right two posts because the are located in different positions on different cars, but one of the posts should be the one the cable from the battery is attached to. I don't know about the cost, but it is a lot less than a starter, although the labor should be about the same, if you have a mechanic do it. I believer there are some cars that have the solenoid inside the starter, so you just have to change the whole thing. Tom S Buddy can't get jumper cables right away so in the meantime I'm trickle-charging a couple 45 amp-hour gel-cells. When they're topped right off, I'll add these to the car's battery and see if it'll turn over --- in which case this is nothing more than a dud battery that can't hold a charge for more than couple days (I just bought this car). I'm still trying to borrow jumper cables though, and we'll see what happens. Turns out it's the battery, it ran just fine with a jumpstart. Thx to all who responded, this is a good group and I would recommend it to anyone --- I rated the responses I got highly, hope you get some benefit from that. I had a 68, 73, 78, 91, 89 and 05 GM cars and all starters had the solenoids on the starter. That is not an 88 Bonneville. *88's were front wheel drive. Yours is an 83 - 85 body style that is rear wheel drive wth an optional 305 V 8. Harryface 05 Park Avenue 36,232 91 Bonneville LE 306,191 |
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